Porch Volume 730 is now CLOSED!!!!!!

Please go back and read Porch 729. Sad news from Sunflowergirl, who lost her hubby. New posts from Mikie, Rock, Julie and others on that volume too.

Sun, our thoughts and prayers are with you, my friend.

I'll post more later. Right now I'm "recovering" from the ATTACK of the FLY. Went on for HOURS this morning! LOL

Apparently Kevin let a fly into the house last evening. Faithy, our mighty huntress, helped me track it down and (ouch!) the fly is gone. I tried to lure it outside, but it wouldn't take the bait!

Before that it was mayhem! Cats jumping everywhere. "Things" toppled. I really thought that our horizontal and vertical blinds were coming down!!! Because of the kitty ATTACK! But, no human nor cat was harmed in this battle.

Did your hubby do ONLINE banking? Do you know his password for your bank, or for his computer?

Do you get a paper statement in the mail from your bank?? There should be a section on there, listing automatic payments. You can contact these vendors (water, electricity, phone, credit cards, etc.), to tell them to send you paper statements that you can pay by check.

Or make a list of what you know has to be paid. Call the "utilities", explain, they will help (I hope!)

Just take it step by step. You'll be fine! If you get overwhelmed, we're here for you!

I know where you are, Sun. I'm an only child. My mom was an only child. Most of my relatives have passed on or no longer care about me. Time will do that.

I married Kevin in 2000. He's my "rock." I don't know what I'd do without him. Even though I had a "life", after I moved from my parents' house to Washington/Alexandria. Kevin is my friend, my rock, my love.

You take care, Sun!!!!! I'm still crying as I type this. You're in my heart and prayers.

Julie, you were right; this happens all the time. I come on to read and it only shows me the new posts on page one. I forget to go to page two. I'm a slow learner.

It's been such a sad morning for us all.

Diane, thanks for some much needed humor, cat style. Your description is so visual that I can see the cats going crazy over the fly.

Sun, I think your kids can help you with the practical things like paying the bills. You can stop at the bank and talk to them. You will likely need several copies of the death certificate for practical matters. I know it sounds so crass to be talking about these things at a time like this but having to take care of things actually helps to get through the initial shock and sadness. If there is a will, see the atty., you will have to contact SS and, if you are entitled to his SS and it's more than yours, they will help you with that. If there is life ins., contact the co. These are only a few of the things you may have to deal with. Just don't let it overwhelm you and ask for the kids' help. You will get through it with lots of love surrounding you. I ask God to help you with everything.

When my dad died, the funeral home provided us with a package with a list of all the people and companies that needed to be contacted, sample letters for contacting utility companies, insurance companies, pensions, etc., the different gov't agencies that needed to be contacted, how to go about transferring land titles, bank accounts, and so forth. And you are right, Mikie, it actually does help in the beginning by keeping busy doing all of these things that need taking care of. It is when everything is finalized that it really hits you.

OMG, I got on a few minutes ago to check on my Porchies and was shocked to hear about SUN's DH. What a shock !! I am so sorry to hear about that. I can imagine how upset you and your family must be.

SUN - I am so sorry to hear about your DH. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers. I don't know what else to say. I didn't think he was that bad, at least at this time. Was hoping they could find out the problem to at least get rid of that one thing that were causing his other symptoms. May God bless you all and your family.

I am all worn out after running around with DD from one store to another trying to find uniforms for DGS school year. Spent a bunch of money, at least for me to help them out. Then had to go way out of our way to pick up Son IL's check from his weekend of work.

Diane - So nice to see you on the boards again and hope you are feeling better. That episode with the crazy fly sounded like something else. To bad no one thought to take pics or a video.

A BIG HI to everydobby else. I need to go with DD to pick up DGS from the babysitter while we were shopping.

I will try and get back here tomorrow and to be able to chat more with you.. Again I am so sorry to hear about SUN'S DH.

Hi, Porchies, as promised, I came back to say how good it is to see everyone I mentioned earlier and Rock, Granni, Springwater and TigerLilea flocking to give support to Sun. I was so sad this morning that I just had to quit where I was. I'm sorry if I missed anyone. TigerLilea, you are right, the funeral homes can be really helpful. It isn't that uncommon for husbands to handle the finances, leaving wives to figure everything out while still in shock and grieving. Life can be so hard sometimes.

I took my usual 800 mgs. of ibuprophen this morning and went out and did a little yardwork. I had to trim the sticks off our hedges where the gardeners just ran the hedge trimmers on them. They didn't trim the for a year and then cut off everything, leaving just the sticks. Those sticks have to be cut below the desired heighth because they will take off like crazy with long shoots everywhere. Now, when they put out the new shoots, they will be where we want them. In the meantime, the hedges don't look so great. Of course, they didn't look so great when the so-called gardeners got through with them.

I had bought some Roundup in a gallon jug which I pumped up to give it pressure. I hand pulled a few of the larger weeds and ones too close to our plants. The little hose and nozzle worked just fine for the rest of the weeds. For the life of me, I can't figure out why those guys can't kill our weeds without killing everything else in sight. I talked with one neighbor who saw one of the gardeners swinging the hose and nozzle over his head like a lasso, killing everything in the radius of his swing. Good grief! I figure I can do just a little bit at a time early in the mornings before it's too hot. I think I'll rest until my appt. on Fri. My shoulder and arm are a bit sore.

Tomorrow, I have to go to the bank to ensure the draft payment on the mortgage has cleared. Then, according to the woman in the mortgage dept., I should be able to make a payment on the principle without its being use as a regular payment instead. They have an antiquated system and it's the tail which wags the dog. If this doesn't work, I guess I'll have to give them permission to draft the extra payment on principle. Since they have managed to mess up everything for a year, I hate to do it. What could possibly go wrong? Plenty!

Sun, please know how much we all love you and are here for you. There are hugs and prayers aplenty. Please take very good care of yourself during this time. Let the kids help out as it will help them to be of use as they grieve too. I found when Mom died that I had to have time to cry and then, I could handle some of the practical things. Then, another wave would hit and the kids and I would have to cry again. The first few days feel like everything is a dream and feels unreal. The brain will only let so much sadness come through so we can handle it in doses until we are stronger. Just keep reminding yourself that, despite the fact that your life will change, you will be OK. Really, you will be.

You ALL are so caring and thoughtful, giving me helps with things I need to do. And I thank each and every one of you. Jam: I emailed that poem to my DD. She's having a hard time. And even harder for me was when my 42 year old son broke down this morning....sobbing.....when he found out his dad sold his hunting guns without even asking if my son would want one. Not that it was the value, but the sentimental value instead. I had to go to the mortuary and when I came back I saw he had his dad's baseball mit along with some photos of dad as a child to take home with him.

I've been trying to do a search online, looking for the gun shop where he might have sold the guns back in march or april. My DD even said dad had come home with pastries from a special bakery near the gun shop which gave me hope in sleuthing. So far no luck in locating it. I was hoping beyond hope.

I also learned I will still receive his SS check, just not mine. And of course no more salary. I need to call SS office tomorrow. It's a shock to the system.
Tomorrow my son has promised to put his dad's car for sale. I don't want it, and can't drive it because it gives my back and neck screaming pain. One day at a time.

It was so heartwarming to come and see all the support and practical advice to Sun from our family here, I had to cry again when I read jams poem, always wondered why we spend a lifetime building up connections to others and then hv to say goodbye..from experience I know burying oneself in tasks helps keep sadness at bay but one does hv to let oneself hv that good cry now and then to purge ones feelings...my SIL cried a river, floods and I think she got it it out of her system she's kind of handling it now I kept it in a lot and now feel surges of sadness sometimes debilitating over my brother..

Mikie - aren't the workmen just annoying? They don't care if proper plants die do they so long as they get paid..hope the pain and source of pain is healed ..also that they sort out yr bank matters soon

Jam - thank you for the poem..does help to hv all paperwork and tasks under control when someone passes

Diane - that must hv been a sight Faithy flying all ove the place after the fly. Nice to see you come on to the porch

Granni - have fun with yr DD and family sounds like an extensive shopping trip there you had looking forward to you coming back

Julie - I hope Amy is better soon..still can't believe sis is getting hitched to someone after such a short time

Rock - the energy levels could be better but pushing on nevertheless..mundane household chores, if only I could drum up some enthusiasm for the same

It's a friends b day today I hv to ring her up I did drop into her office the other day but she wasn't there instead chatted to her sis about sundry matters ..her plants been attacked by dreaded white grubs and they still hv to buy water tap water doesn't come ...three siblings live on each floor of a three storey house belonging to second eldest sis the one brother married with twin boys ...seems to me a nice arrangement .. they're separate own kitchens but nearby for some company and help if needed
Also so spoke to other friend who wanted to know when we can meet...well, I guess when I've got a little more energy after my chores..they've been piling up

Hi Sun, thinking of you. I am reading Fannie Flagg's book "Can't Wait to Get to Heaven".
Maybe you will want to look at the book later. It might be of some comfort to you. (It is
the sequel to "Standing in the Rainbow".) Good luck with your search for Dad's guns.)

Tiger Lilea, I think that information package from the funeral home is a wonderful
idea. Must be run by nice people.

Jam, never previously encountered the poem you posted. I think it is spot on as the
British say. I searched for the author. Same sources say Betty Miller. Couldn't find
anything about her, although I did find a British author with the same name
who wrote novels.

Some sources say the poem was by Edgar Guest. He was born in England, but lived
in America and was very popular. His poems appeared in newspapers and numerous
books. He even had his own radio show. His most famous quote was: It takes a
heap of livin' to make a house a home.

Sun, good luck with your hunt for the gun shop. I know how much personal things mean to kids when they lose a parent or grandparent. My daughters have some of my Mom's jewelry and will get the rest, and mine, when I go Home. I love Jam's poem. After the initial raw shock and sadness, it's memories and family which give us comfort. There is certainly loving comfort from your Online Family here. As Springwater said, each of us grieves differently. I think when the urge to cry comes, one should cry. One shouldn't try not to. On the other hand, not everyone grieves by crying. My Mom almost never cried, even when she lose my stepdad. The only guide we have is our own intuition. As everyone says, "One day at a time."

Jam, thank you so much for the poem. I had not seen that one. I've seen one similar about not going to the gravesite because..."I am not there." Your poem is very comforting and I'm going to print it out. Again thank you.

Rock, I'm going to download Fanny Flagg's books on my Kindle. I know I'll love them because I've always loved her work. How was the haircut? Did you get a Mohawk or something more conventional? Gordon certainly seems like a talented guy. I NV his orchids. I can now grow them but lack space unless I start hanging them from our tree. Also, they can be expensive but not as expensive as all these co-pays. Whine, whine, whine!

Springwater, wow! Three relatives living in three apartments in a three-story bldg. In the old days, multiple generations lived together. The Waltons TV show comes to mind. There was always someone to watch the kids and the kids learned from the elders and everyone pitched in. Today, we seem to all want "The American Dream," living in our own McMansions, often thousands of miles from our nearest relatives. My own family is spread out but I know if I need anything, they will come as fast as they can. Still, it's not the same as having them nearby. Even when we lived in the same general metro area, everyone, including me, was so busy that we didn't see each other as often as we would have liked. Living in an eight-unit condo bldg. is kinda like a family. Sometimes, it's tricky to keep things calm and friendly. I'm sorry the grieving is so hard for your brother. Thanks for your sweet good wishes for my pain and mortgage. They tell me the mortgage is straightened out but I've heard that one before. Back and leg are better; it's the shoulder now and I see the doc tomorrow.

I've been icing my shoulder and back. Back is actually doing well (knocking on wood here). I am praying that my shoulder doesn't need surgery but, as I've mentioned, it will likely not be apparent until I get an MRI. After I sweated horribly doing yard work, I took a shower, got ready, and went to the store. That's pretty good for one day for me. I got some dirt on my khaki shorts so I wore them into the shower and scrubbed them with soap and a brush while I had them on. Then, I took them off and finished my shower. It was soooo much easier than having to prewash them lying flat.

Think I'll venture into my front office today. Yikes! It has to be done. I already cleaned out the walk-in closet so it's mostly paperwork I need to either shred or take to Goodwill to have them shred it in their commercial shredder. I especially need to organize our condo paperwork. I'll do my personal paperwork first. I keep the door closed because I have the A/C vent closed in there I don't use that room much and the window faces the harsh afternoon sun.

The cats will have a heyday because, of course, they want to go into the one room they don't have access to. I'll have to decide whether or not to open the vent. Seems silly to pay for A/C in there when I rarely use the room. If I leave it open, I'll have to open the blinds so the cats can see what's going on while lazing on top of the back of the loveseat in there. What they really want is a view from every window in the place. I keep the blinds closed in my bedroom and the only thing in front of those windows is furniture with pictures and knick-knacks. I don't allow them up on the furniture 'cept the bed and sofas. Their kitty condo overlooks the pool and they never get up on it. I don't know whether they are a bit depressed, living as inside cats, or if their lack of interest in playing is normal as they age. They still like to chase one another through the condo.

Well, another "W&P" post. As always, I send my love to everyone, here and MIA and anyone I might have missed.

BTW, I believe Rock is right; the poem was written by Edgar A. Guest. I also found the same poem claimed by Betty Miller but there are tons of copies of that poem attributed to whomever posted them.

In the time it took me to check it out, another obviously foreign spammer appeared. It is only because of the Spammer Patrol made up of our caring members that the mods are able to keep them off our website. I check the ISP's of each one and, sometimes, I find several users on the same ISP, all posting spam here. This is what makes me think they are gangs using internet cafes to post spam with links in them. Who knows what happens if one were to click on the links. I really worry about hackers. Fortunately, their posts are so poorly written that it is obvious it is a scam. Our members are too savvy to fall for that. I laugh when I see that some of them have "likes" on their posts. They must "like" their own posts or "like" each others.

BTW, I ordered some supps from ProHealth yesterday and I ordered the new tart cherry. It is supposed to be good for inflammation. That is what is responsible for most of my pain so I'm hoping it will help. It's like chicken soup--it might help and it couldn't hoit.

Julie - I am so sorry you are feeling so badly again and I hope you do not catch the bug that Keira got. Please TRY and rest . Who knows when Lindsey is going to have that baby !! Lord knows that she will probably need plenty of help.

Sun - I am sure you are busy trying to make the arrangements. Please try and let the children help you. I know it must be so hard for you all. Lean on each other !! You continue to be in my thoughts and prayers. So much of this type of thing is happening around here - very sad for everyone. Sorry DH sold the guns and didn't ask your son if he wanted any of them. I am glad there is at least a few remembrances, even if it wasn't the guns your DS will get to keep. Hope maybe you will find some in your search that he did sell.

Mikie - I see you are as busy as ever. What is the stuff your ordered from PH that you ordered in the cherry? I am sure I have enough inflammation going on in my body. Sounds like you are having quite a time with those kitties. Lots of questions about them and what they need and want, just like children.

Just wanted to pop on here to shat was going on with you all. I miss chatting with you all when I am gone. Need to go and also check my messages on my computer. There will probably be more than 500 messages on my computer when we get back.

DD is at the dentist getting ready for a crown. We just back from bringing DGS to Mikie D's for chicken nuggets, etc. so he could play some on the inside playground. We had to drive a bit further so we could go the one with an inside playground since it is in the high 90's I am sure around here. He just LOVES MC Donalds and their playground !!

It's hot here today. 91 degrees. Gordon didn't feel like cooking so he went to Chinatown
to get something already prepared. He really suffers when it's hot.

Sounds like you're having a nice visit, Granni. I'd like to have a nice visit with relatives.
Of course, that would mean I'd need new relatives.

Just started reading the biography of Edd Byrnes who was Kookie on "77 Sunset Strip"
about half a century ago. I never saw the show. It was on when I was in college.
Didn't watch TV or go to movies during those years.

Also started a play that won a Pulitzer Prize and was made into an HBO movie. Read
30 pages. A buncha ah short scenes that didn't connect; all with different characters.
Put it in the return to library stack.

Yes, Julie, I hope you can get some rest. I love your virus comment. "She
didn't either."

Mikie, my haircut was unremarkable. Didn't get a mohawk or a magenta dye job.
Remember when Blanche on Golden Girls delivered a diatribe against the color
magenta? Was just reminiscing with my sister. My dad used to give us boys
terrible haircuts. He was mean. Kinda like Edd Byrnes family. Alcoholism ran
in the family.

Gordon has some orchids that grow in trees. A nursery in Santa Barbara specializes
in them. He says vanda orchids would probably do well where you are. But
cymbidiums need cooler weather.

Springwater, that 3 story house with the 3 siblings sounds like a setting for a book
by Shirley Jackson. The tallest buldings in our village were 2 stories except for one
old house. Tall and narrow; 3 stories. I was only in it a few times. What I thought
was interesting was that the kitchen was on the middle floor. Hope your energy
level improves. If it does, send some my way. Not sure if my condition should
be described as "limp as a noodle" or "limp as a dishrag".

Stephen Foster wrote a song titled "Better Times Are Coming". Well, we'd all
like to see that.

Sun, I think you know you are in all our hearts and prayers. I hope it's a comfort to know we are thinking about you and the kids.

Julie, I'm so sorry you are feeling so rundown. I hope that virus doesn't decide to take up residence in your bod. That was funny about Keira not needing it either. No one needs that crud!

Granni, I get PH's newsletter and there are always good articles in it. There was one about how good tart cherry supps are for reducing inflammation as an introduction to PH's new tart cherry supp. I had to order some probiotics and sublingual B-12 so just tacked on the tart cherry. It'll probably be a bit before I know whether it's helping but I do know I can't continue taking high doses of the ibuprophen. Shoulder isn't getting any better; it's getting worse. Of course, the doc won't know until I have an MRI just what is giving me such pain. I'm about at the point that I'll have surgery if that is what it takes to rid myself of the pain, even if there is a three-month recovery period. AACK!!! Hope you are enjoying your visit.

Rock, I remember Edd Burns as Kookie; he was always combing his hair. My ex was in love with Connie Stevens who was on the show and who went on to marry Eddie Fisher. They had a daughter, Jolie Fisher, who is also an actress. Thank Gordon for the orchid tips. It may be a while before I try one in my tree. One neighbor has 30 of them in one of her trees. Our next door neighbor, who has moved, had a bunch in his. In the trees, they are planted in those little wood boxes which hang instead of a pot with holes around the bottom. The orchid lady at Lowe's told me if I didn't want to water my orchids, I could just put ice cubes on top of the bark in between the leaves and let them melt down. That would work well for tree orchids in our dry season. For the pots, I just put them under the faucet and tip the pot to make sure the water is distributed and I let it all run out before putting them back on the saucers under the pots.

It's been so hot here, in the 90's, that I've had to water our outdoor plants every day unless it rains. We are now getting morning downpours. Lots of thunder out this morning. Mother Nature seems confused. We had a bad lightening strike at the beach with one person killed and three teenagers hospitalized in decent condition. I think they are going to install lightening sensors at the beach to warn people to leave. One strike, which killed a kid on a school athletic field a few years ago, came from 10 miles away. Now, all school fields have to have the sensors.

There isn't much to tell. Today, I'm resting the arm. Tomorrow morning, I'm going to just pull a few weeds with my good arm and kill the rest with Roundup. I want to get the front lawn weed free before the so-called gardeners come around with their Roundup and kill everything. Our stairwells are a mess but, at least, the front can look decent.

Tweety is in time out on the lanai. They came in at 3:30 and had breakfast and were unusually quiet. It wasn't long before I saw Tweety sizing up the taller armoire in my living room. I had to spray her with water to get her down off of the lower one in my dining room the other day. Every time I saw her looking up at this armoire, I said, "NO!" She just kept it up. I know she won't be satisfied until she tries to scale it. I'm afraid she will claw up the wood if she misses or fall and injures herself. So far, she hasn't tried to get up on top of my kitchen cabinets but it's probably only a matter of time.

Waxing the tracks for my sliders didn't help so I'm stopping at Lowe's to buy some silicon spray. I know that will help a little. It did before. I feel like I'm walking on eggs as it is with His Nibs downstairs. Once a person, who is otherwise friendly, at least on the surface, shows such an ugly side, one never forgets. I don't need this kind of stress right now. The book I'm reading says we carry stress in our muscles and that contributes to pain, especially neck and back pain. It's an excellent book and I get this guy's newsletters too. Of course, he's selling products but what he has to say is worth its weight in gold. I also get the Phoenix Rising newsletter and it's got excellent articles, just like ProHealth's does. PH sponsors the PR website with an ad for this website.

Mikie: I must have missed some posts.......what's going on with the shoulder now? I know you had that surgery about 6 mos. ago. Is it reoccuring? And......the neighbor downstairs who used to be nice but now isn't? That's tough to deal with and brings on way too much stress for your body. I've been in a very stressful life to put it bluntly. Mikie, you may remember me posting about a year ago about my PA husband. I wonder how my muscles will do for me once all this has settled down.

Julie: My doc. told me years ago that my immune system was terribly run down and that's why I picked up everything coming around. Get over one thing and then bam.....you get something else. The only way to heal your immune system is get sleep and lots and lots of rest. Laugh every day......a big belly laugh. Caticolimines!
Anyway, I'm sorry you're now sick again, and of course you worry a lot about your family, especially the little ones. And Den is totally OK after his fall? And I guess today is the big wedding day! What a joke! How long are you going to give her until she finds she might have made a mistake? Oh well, it's her problem and not yours.

Rock: I'm like Gordon.....hate the heat. I've been running the AC almost continually while company is here, but I really have to watch my pennies and that sucks up $$$$$. My neighbor came over a few nights ago with a gorgeous white phalanopsis for me and a bottle of chilled white wine. So we popped the cork and sat and laughed over different things. But......with the heat, this orchid isn't going to last long. They really do like a mild temp.

I watched 77 Sunset Strip all the time. Loved it.....wanted to be Connie Stevens! I had a car and I remember once a girlfriend and I drove to the strip, looking for Dino's, the name of the bar. Of course I was young and dumb and thought it would all be like the TV program. I'll have to get that book about Kookie.

Granni: Are you like me......dreaded when my DGD wanted to go to McDs. All that awful noise while I sat watching her crawl thru the tubes. And I HATE their food. Terribly overpriced too.

I have a bottle of sour cherry juice, have tried it, not religiously though, and I saw no difference in how I felt. I also bought bulk sour cherries so I guess I need to start eating some daily. Right now cherries are in season and I have a bowl of them out, but I think they're considered sweet cherries.

Spring. My son, his visiting friend and I were talking about smudging, and my son brought up a story about him meeting a girl at a bar, and she said she wanted to "smudge" him first! ????? Well, that's a bit strange.

Using this Ipad can be a pain. It only lets me type for a short time, then I have to keep going back to edit.

I've made progress thru this mess of papers. After a search I did finally find some retirement papers from a previous company, talked to the right person/persons and will be receiving papers from them in about 10 days I was told. Got thru to SS and actually TALKED to a supervisor who explained things. Need to get back to my main bank today and tell them NOT to send back his last SS check. Still waiting to hear from his present company even after many calls to many people. GRRRRRRRRR.

My family was all over yesterday, and my youngest is trying to help me with paper work. They're all coming today again, this time my DIL will be here with the newest DGD. She's almost 2 mos. old and looking so beautiful. My visiting son had a friend over and he ended up spending the night and next day too. He's such a wonderful breath of fresh air.....great funny personality. My neighbor met him, and after he walked outside told me she's got a young friend for him to meet. I asked her....too old I think. Then my DD was taken with him and mentioned her husband's cousin. Nope.....won't do. He asked if he could be an adopted son......I said definitely. We gave each other a big hug....he's almost 41, has two girls 7 and 9, and has been divorced from his wife for over 4 years. Aside from them he has no family out here....he's from Cleveland.

And I have to mention....my youngest came in yesterday......said he was going to cook dinner for us, so proceeded to make bolognaise sauce (I think that's spelled wrong) but it was smelling sooo good that even my 6 year old DGD said she was hungry, that it smelled good. That's not something she normally does, so he gave her a bowl of it over pasta.

Sunflower, I'm glad to hear that your family is with you. And that your relatives are
helpful and supportive. (Unlike mine or those of Edd Byrnes.) I think all modern
houses should have an office. Complete with office machines like fax, copier, etc.
The amount of paper work generated for a family today is astonishing.

Very nice of your neighbor to bring wine and the phalaenopsis. My boss's wife had
an artificial phalaenopsis in her office. She never could remember the name. Musta
asked me a dozen times over the years. I kept telling her the common name was
moth orchid, but she just ignored that.

Being the owner's wife had its perks. She came in for 2 or 3 hours week and chatted
with people. Went around telling the folks in the accounting department to be
sure and have the pay checks ready on time. For this she was paid a salary of
$75,000 a year. And that was 20 years ago.

BTW, I tried some sort of tart cherry juice or pills or something years ago. Didn't
do anything for me either.

Mikie, I guess Kookie was always combing his hair. He's doing it on the cover of his
bio. And you can hear a duet on Youtube with Edd and Connie Stevens singing
"Kookie, Lend Me Your Comb". I only knew Edd from his appearance in "Grease".
He spent only 3 pages on the movie in his book. He said the producers wanted Dick
Clark for the role, but Clark wanted too much money so Edd got the job instead.
He did have nice things to say about John Travolta. Said Olivia Newton John was too
shy to talk to him.

Looked up lightning sensors on the net. Never heard of them before. Stupid search engine
gave me hits on "lighting" sensors. When I finally found an article on what I wanted, it
was too technical for my small brain to comprehend. Well, I'm feeling extra depressed and
sluggish this morning anyhoo.

Oops! Just remembered. It's Friday morning. Gotta check and make sure that Gordon's
car is parked on the correct side of the street. I know mine is; I moved it yesterday. I got
a $70 ticket some time back. I was on the proper side, but I had to pick up some pills at
the drugstore. When I got back home my addled brain forgot, and I wound up on the
wrong side.

All the government fees in the city and state have gone way up. Both are in mucho debt.
The figures they release bounce around. The city is 30 million in debt. Then a few months
later it's only 6 millions. Then...etc. Very likely nobody actually knows anyhoo. Just
that it's a big number.

Another quick HI to awl !!! Just wanted to pop in to see how things have been going. Again, so sorry to hear about SUN's dear hubby. That is always such a stressful thing, to watch some dear family member slowly go down hill and then pass on. We also had that many years ago when my DH's dear mom passed on after ovarian cancer. We saw her get so frail and weak with never a complaint out of her. Maybe in some ways it was good that she did not suffer a long time. The whole thing was maybe 6 mos. but that was way to long anyway .

SUN - Hope things are going fairly well for you., all things considered. Glad you children have been helpful. I know if my DH were to pass on I would be at a loss too . Plus loving him he also does so much of the financial stuff that is the stuff that a confuses me. It is more than the usual checkbook which is no problem for me ):!! Hugz to you my dear friend. !

It is so wonderful that everyone is supportive of SUN and her family. This is indeed a place to be with loving and supportive friends. You can vent also if needed which is a wonderful plus.

Having a nice visit with DD and family but there is lots of work to do here even though I am not doing much this visit. Just finishing up some wash and did a bit of dusting yesterday. Early this a.m. DH sand I took a walk while it was still a bit cool or much cooler. It is supposed to be about 100 degrees today. DH needs the computer soon so I need to get off.

Mikie - Thanks for mentioning the newsletter. I used to get them but do not any more, not sure why. Do I need to sign up again? I think that they are free. Do they come email or snail mail?? Might be interested in trying the tart cherry to see if it will help my inflammation or OA. Right now can't afford stuff like acupuncture or more chiro RX's . My daughter has been taking acupuncture and I think they have helped her some but they have more $ than we do but now that they will be moving to TX who knows. Her hubby tells there they will be on a budget !! We will see. I see you are busy as a beaver and I hope you do not need shoulder surgery. I know about those who had back surgery and shoulder surgery. The back surgery does not always help and the friend has shoulder surgery 3x I think and none of them have worked. She is much older than you I know. Can you believe they wanted her to do it again but she said NO. She is in her 80's I know.

Julie - Hope you are feeling a little better and have gotten to rest. How can you with everything going on around her. I love DD's keyboard. I can just type away without to many mistakes and that it doesn't miss letters and sometimes words. It is probably the older keyboard with raised letters and numbers. That seems to work better. it is more like the old typewriters. Hang in there and hope you will feel better soon.. I hope you are able to not crash anymore after eating. The stress you have been under surely can be contributing, I think.

Rock and SW - Hope you both have founds some NRG. I really don't have to much either but keep on plugging on. Maybe if I stayed in bed and suffered some I would get some more sympathy. he he

Thinking of everyone. DH needs the computer now. Hope to check in later or tomorrow. I have had a very hard time today getting into our server to send us our e-mails that we have gotten on our computer at home. Finally did !! If we don't do that and delete we end up with so many on our computer when we get home.

BTW, Our daughter that hopes to move here will have their open house tomorrow afternoon. However, they had an interested couple that came yesterday evening and mentioned something about possibly moving in to rent until they possibly closed. I know they wished for a Master BR on the bottom floor but all BR's are on top floor. However, it is a lovely good sized house that had been completely redone with new kitchen. So I am sure that has helped. The realtor is supposed to come to talk to them today with details on what the couple might want. So we will see, plus the open house tomorrow. Hope they get a good deal. May know more later today. Sounds like they need something pretty darn quick. If so DD may get a good deal.

Hi, Sun, yes, I remember. I was married to the King of PA Ville. It is sooooo stressful and over time, it can tie one's muscles up in knots--literally. I know everything is going warp speed right now while you and the kids are trying to straighten things out but I hope when it's quieter, you can take some time just for yourself. Maybe meditate in your lovely little garden.

I can't remember when I had my other shoulder done but I think it's been about a year. It had a bone spur. I saw the doc today. It was one of those days at the office. My appt. was at 11:15 and I left at 2:00. Something told me to take my pillow as there is nowhere comfy to sit in the little rooms. The exam table has a pillow but if I lie down, I need it for my knees. So, I took one of my bed pillows and had a nice little nap. I came home and took off the pillow case and put a clean one on it.

I am having an MRI on Mon. and am seeing the doc right afterward. He suspects impingement in which the opening in the shoulder for all the muscles and tendons in the rotator cuff area. If it closes up, as it tends to do in older people, it can rub on tendons and muscles and cause all kinds of inflammation. The remedy is a simple laproscopic surgery in which they go in through tiny incisions and just clip off the end of the shoulder bone to make more room for everything. Pretty much like my last surgery. Barb isn't here so I may have to put off surgery, if I need it, til the end of Aug. The doc injected it for now to give me some relief from the inflammation.

I haven't talked to the curmudgeon downstairs since he came up to apologize for being such an ass. I plan to see if someone can rebuild the wheel mechanism on the doors once it gets cooler. I stopped at Lowe's on the way home and got some silicone spray for the tracks for now.

I'm glad you are surrounded by family and, especially, kids. They can really keep things moving along and they are so funny and fun even during a sad time. I am so glad to see you coming here to be with your Online Family too. We are all with you in Spirit.

Rock, I downloaded "Standing In The Rainbow" and started reading it at the doc's office. I got so sleepy I had to stop and take a nap while I waited. I love her writing and just what little I read was sooooo good. Geez, it was like going back to my own early childhood. I remember people taking in boarders. I also remember all the women listening to the radio shows all day while they did their housework. Women had to work so hard, as did many men, but Moms weren't driving their kids to play dates and activities all day. If someone told me as a kid that a Mom had made a date with another Mom for the kids to play, I would have thought it very insane. Why not just go out and play with the kids in the hood? Just be home when the street lights come on. In some ways, life was better but in some ways, it wasn't. No tolerance and lots of judgment back then. You pretty much had to conform to the community stds. or your were a pariah. On the other hand, people had better manners back then. Fanny Flagg's books are a bit more expensive than some others so I only downloaded that one for now. Thanks for the suggestion.

As always, I send my love, hugs and prayers to all our Porchies.

Love, Mikie

Well, did it again. After I posted, it said there were more unread posts. I am in major pain right now so will come back later to read and respond to everyone else.